was a Japanese ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

'' and

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

of the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

known as "Tiger of Owari" and also the father of

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobuhide was a deputy ''

shugo , commonly translated as “(military) governor,” “protector,” or “constable,” was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The pos ...

'' (Shugodai) of lower Owari Province and head of the

Oda clan The is a Japanese samurai family who were daimyo and an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they had the climax of their fame under Oda Nobunaga and fell from the spotlight soon after, several ...

which controlled most of Owari.

Biography

Oda Nobuhide was born in 1510 in Owari Province, the eldest son of Oda Nobusada, the head of the

and a ''

shugodai were officials during feudal Japan. Shugodai were representatives of provincial shugo when the shugo could not exercise his power, being often away from his province. Unlike shugo, who were appointed from the central power, shugodai were locally ...

'' (deputy ''

'') of the lower Owari area. Nobuhide became head of the Oda clan when Nobusada died in 1538, and became involved in open warfare as he was confronted to the north by

Saitō Dōsan , also known as Saitō Toshimasa (斎藤利政), was a Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Saitō Dōsan"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 809. He was also known as the for his ruthless tactics. His hono ...

, the ''

'' of

Mino Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today southern Gifu Prefecture. Mino was bordered by Ōmi to the west, Echizen and Hida to the north, and Shinano to the east, and Ise, Mikawa, and Owari to the south. Its abbreviat ...

, and to the east by

Imagawa Yoshimoto was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in the Sengoku period Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was known as . he was one of the three ''daimyōs'' that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He died in 1560 while marching to Kyoto to become ...

, the ''daimyō'' of Mikawa, Suruga, and Tōtōmi provinces. In 1540, Nobuhide attacked and took Anjō castle, which was held by the

Matsudaira clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of th ...

. He was assisted by

Mizuno Tadamasa (1493 – 22 August 1543) was a samurai lord of the Mizuno clan of feudal Japan. He was the father of Odai no Kata, the mother of ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1533 by Mizuno Tadamasa built and ruled Kariya Castle. Tadamasa was also the fat ...

, his son,

Oda Nobuhiro was the eldest son of Oda Nobuhide. After Nobuhiro's father took Anjo Castle in Mikawa Province in 1540, the castle was given to Nobuhiro. During 1551, Nobuhiro was trapped by the Imagawa clan, but was saved when Oda Nobunaga handed over o ...

, was installed as the lord of the castle. In 1542 he defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto at First Battle of Azukizaka. Nobuhide managed to hold his own against his opponents, but was never able to fully unite Owari due to constant internal struggles within Oda clan, which prevented him from achieving a complete victory. In 1547, Nobuhide was defeated at the

Battle of Kanōguchi was a battle during the Sengoku period (16th century) of Japan. As part of the very long rivalry between Oda Nobuhide and Saitō Dōsan, along with Dōsan's defense of his position in Mino Province. Nobuhide and Dōsan fought each other on t ...

. In 1548, Imagawa defeated Nobuhide in the Second Battle of Azukizaka and continued to expand his territory until 1560. In 1549, Nobuhide made peace with Dōsan by arranging a political marriage between his eldest son,

, and Saitō Dōsan daughter,

Nōhime , also known as Kichō (帰蝶), was the legal wife of Oda Nobunaga, a major ''daimyō'' during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. Her proper name was Kichō, but since she came from Mino Province, she is most commonly referred to as Nōhime ...

. Dōsan supported the marriage which allowed Nobuhide to focus on facing Yoshimoto. In one of his moments of glory, Nobuhide managed to capture

Matsudaira Hirotada was the lord of Okazaki Castle in Mikawa province, Japan during the Sengoku Period of the 16th century. He is best known for being the father of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Biography Hirotada was the son of Matsudaira ...

's son and heir, Matsudaira Motoyasu (later known as

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

) as a

hostage A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or ref ...

, to en route Yoshimoto and was thus able to gain some footholds into Mikawa.

Death

Nobuhide died unexpectedly in 1551, and his remains are interred in a little-known alley near Osu Kannon temple in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

Succession controversy

Nobuhide's eldest son, Oda Nobuhiro, was

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

, and before his death designated the young Nobunaga, his eldest legitimate son, to succeed him as the head of the Oda clan and its small

domain Domain may refer to: Mathematics *Domain of a function, the set of input values for which the (total) function is defined **Domain of definition of a partial function **Natural domain of a partial function **Domain of holomorphy of a function * Do ...

. Nobunaga, who hardly knew his father and already had a bad reputation as a delinquent in Owari, arrived inappropriately dressed at Nobuhide's funeral and threw

incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also be ...

at the altar of the temple as he cursed his fate. Nobunaga's behavior and reputation resulted in almost all support that Nobuhide's

retainer Retainer may refer to: * Retainer (orthodontics), devices for teeth * RFA ''Retainer'' (A329), a ship * Retainers in early China, a social group in early China Employment * Retainer agreement, a contract in which an employer pays in advance for w ...

s would have given him to disappear. Almost all Oda retainers and Nobunaga's mother

Tsuchida Gozen , also known as Tsuchida Gozen, was a Japanese noblewoman and the mother of Oda Nobunaga, a major ''daimyō'' and politician of the Sengoku period regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Biography Dota Gozen's origins are unknown, incl ...

favored his younger brother,

Oda Nobuyuki , also known as , was the son of Oda Nobuhide and younger brother of Oda Nobunaga, who lived during the Sengoku period of Japan. Nobuyuki conspired against his brother Nobunaga with the Hayashi clan (Owari), which Nobunaga viewed as treason. Nob ...

, who was considered to be well-behaved and reputable. As a result, Nobunaga was left with support from

Hirate Masahide was a Japanese samurai who served the Oda clan for two generations. His original name was . Life Masahide first served Oda Nobuhide. He was a talented samurai as well as skilled in sado and waka. This helped him to act as a skilled diplomat, ...

and his father-in-law Saitō Dōsan, whom he had never met before, and a succession crisis. Many of Nobuhide's relatives and retainers attempted to usurp his heir, and it would take seven years for Nobunaga to consolidate his power within the Oda clan and finally unite Owari Province. Nobunaga eventually conquered most of Japan, beginning his campaign in Owari, and became known as the first of the three "Great Unifiers" of the Sengoku period.

Family

*Father: Oda Nobusada *Brothers: ** Oda Nobuyasu ** Oda Nobumitsu (1516–1556) ** Oda Nobutsugu ** Oda Nobuzane *Sister:

Lady Otsuya Lady Otsuya (おつやの方 ''Otsuya no Kata'') was a Japanese female samurai (onna-musha) from the Sengoku period. She was the aunt of the famous samurai Oda Nobunaga, the wife of Tōyama Kagetō and foster mother of Oda Katsunaga. She was the r ...

*Wife:

(1511-1594), who gave birth to four of his sons (

Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

, Nobuyuki, Nobukane and

Oda Hidetaka was a Sengoku period warrior in 16th century Japan. He was the eighth son of warlord Oda Nobuhide and his wife, Tsuchida Gozen. His mother also gave birth to three of his older brothers: Oda Nobunaga, Oda Nobuyuki and Oda Nobukane. He was kille ...

). *Sons: **

(died 1574) (illegitimate oldest son) **

(1534–1582) **

(1536–1557) **

Oda Nobukane was a Japanese samurai, the younger brother of the warlord, Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century. Following the year of 1568, Nobukane was destined to be adopted into the Nagano clan. Nobukane afterwards shaved his ...

(1548–1614) **

Oda Nagamasu was a Japanese daimyō and a brother of Oda Nobunaga who lived from the late Sengoku period through the early Edo period. Also known as or , the Tokyo neighborhood Yūrakuchō is named for him. Nagamasu converted to Christianity in 1588 ...

(1548–1622) **

Oda Nobuharu was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period, who served the Oda clan. Nobuharu was the younger brother of Oda Nobunaga. Nobunaga granted him Nobu Castle and its surroundings as a private fief. While fighting the Asakura and Asai, Nobuharu was ...

(1549–1570) **

Oda Nobutoki or Hidetoshi was born the sixth son of Oda Nobuhide, a feudal warlord in Owari Province, Japan, during the Sengoku period. He was the half-brother of Oda Nobunaga and the full brother of Oda Nobuhiro, with all three having the same father.' He ...

(died 1556) ** Oda Nobuoki **

(died 1555) ** Oda Hidenari ** Oda Nobuteru ** Oda Nagatoshi *Daughters: **

Oichi was a female historical figure in the late Sengoku period. She is known primarily as the mother of three daughters who became prominent figures in their own right – Yodo-dono, Ohatsu Nagamasa had no hope of winning, and chose to commit seppuk ...

(1547–1583) **

Oinu Oinu (お犬, died September 24, 1582) was a Japanese historical figure and a member of the prominent Oda clan in the Sengoku period. She was the daughter of Oda Nobuhide and the younger sister of Oda Nogunaga, one of the leading figures of the Se ...

, married Saji Nobutaka and mother of

Saji Kazunari was a Japanese samurai warrior of the Sengoku period and Edo period. Turnbull, Stephen R. (2000)''The Samurai Tradition,'' Vol. 2, p. 149 excerpt, "Hideyoshi married Oeyo the younger sister of Yodo-Dono his chief concubine to Saji Kazunari, warde ...

References

* Titsingh, Isaac, ed. (1834). iyun-sai_Rin-siyo/Hayashi_Gahō,_1652.html" ;"title="Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō">iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652">Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō">iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652 ''Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon, tr. par M. Isaac Titsingh avec l'aide de plusieurs interprètes attachés au comptoir hollandais de Nangasaki; ouvrage re., complété et cor. sur l'original japonais-chinois, accompagné de notes et précédé d'un Aperçu d'histoire mythologique du Japon, par M. J. Klaproth.'' Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
...Link to digitized full text (in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oda, Nobuhide 1510 births 1551 deaths Daimyo Oda clan Military engineers

Biography

Death

Succession controversy

Family

See also

References